Sunday's Pancakes
by OnceUponALostie
Summary: Life in the Ford household
1. Chapter 1

Juliet sat at the table, sipping her coffee. It was an early Sunday morning and most everyone was asleep still. James got up just as she did and was standing in the kitchen preparing pancakes like he did every Sunday. Juliet shifted around in her chair, trying to get situated. Rachel shuffled into the kitchen, half asleep. Juliet smiled and set her coffee down at the sight of her sister. "Morning Rachel, how'd you sleep?" Rachel slowly made her way to the chair next to Juliet. She let out a yawn and slumped in the chair.

"I slept alright." She shrugged and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Juliet smiled warmly and looked over at James. She leaned back in her chair to get a better view.

"How's it coming?" She inquired as Sawyer scrambled about the kitchen, carrying pans from counter to counter. He grumbled something and poured more batter onto a pan. Juliet leaned back into the table and took another drink of her coffee. Rachel raised her eyebrows at her and smiled. "Do you want any coffee?" Juliet asked her sister and set her coffee back down. Rachel shook her head with a slight smile.

"No, I'm fine thanks." Juliet sighed and looked back over at Sawyer. She tried to hold in her giggles at his cooking. Normally, he didn't have this much of a struggle but for some reason, today was not his day. He noticed her laughter and set down the bowl of pancake mix, turning around to look at her.

"You laughin' at me, Blondie?" He smirked and she shook her head with a grin.

"Nope, not at all. I would never do that." He let out an airy laugh and turned back to his flapjacks. The sound of little footsteps started echoing down the hall. Rachel lifted her eyebrows with a grin.

"Uh-oh, I hear trouble." She laughed. Juliet took a gulp of her coffee and stood up from the chair.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Juliet grinned and put her hands on her knees.

"Morning Mommy." Charlotte rubbed her eyes and shambled closer to Juliet. She rose her arms up and Juliet smiled and lifted her off the ground. She situated her on her hip and pushed Charlotte's blonde curls out of her face. Sawyer turned around and grinned.

"Hey there, Charlie. Pancakes are almost ready, you hungry?" Charlie nodded and set her head down on Juliet's shoulder. Rachel let out a small laugh.

"Someone's still tired." She smiled and Juliet nodded. James walked over to the table with a plate of steaming pancakes. He set down the plate on the table and took a seat by Juliet, across from Rachel. Juliet took her seat and moved Charlotte to her lap. Charlie eyed the flapjacks and leaned in a little. James looked at her and smirked. He stabbed the food with a fork and put it on the plate in front of her.

"Here munchkin, eat up." She smiled as Sawyer handed her the syrup. "Don't put too much on, got it?"

Charlotte nodded and flipped open the lid, "Okay Daddy, I won't." She tilted the syrup and started pouring it on. James looked at Juliet with a smile, then down at Charlie. He watched as she cautiously glazed the sugary topping onto her pancakes. She pulled the container up and pushed the lid down. Juliet patted her leg and sighed.

"I got to pee, honey." Charlotte squirmed and her hair bounced when Juliet slipped out from under her and got up to go the bathroom. Rachel looked over at James and raised her eyebrows. She moved into the seat near him and leaned in closer to him.

"Does Charlie know?" She whispered. Sawyer shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Juliet wants to wait a bit before saying anything. Ya know, she wants to be sure nothing happens. But," Sawyer moves closer to Rachel to try and get out of Charlie's earshot. "it's going to be hard to keep it a secret for long." Rachel laughs softly and nods.

"Yeah, that's for damn sure, Juliet's already got the bump going on." Sawyer rolls his eyes and goes back to Charlie and her pancakes. Charlotte was shoveling in the food and keeping her eyes focused on it. Rachel glances over at her and widens her eyes. "Easy there tiger, you eat that fast and you'll get a tummy ache." Charlie looked up from her meal and smiled, slowing down the food intake. Juliet emerged from the bathroom and walked down the hall, pushing her hair out of her face. She took a seat where Rachel was sitting and tapped her fingers on the table. Rachel looked at her sister, face full of worry. "You alright, Jules?" Juliet snapped out of her daze and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good, I'm just thinking." She shifted around in her chair and sighed. Sawyer looked at her and smiled. Juliet noticed his looks and laughed. "What are you staring at me for?" Rachel grinned at the two love birds and looked over at Charlie, who was also giggling.

"I'm just admiring the view, Blondie." He smirked and lifted his arm to rest on the top of his chair. Juliet smiled and looked down, blushing. She twirled the diamond studded ring on her left hand and looked back up at James.

"I love you." She couldn't stop smiling at him. It didn't matter how long they'd been together, James was still like new to her. He returned the grin and let his dimples surface.

"I love you back." Charlie looked at her aunt and laughed, setting her fork down and lifting the glass of milk sitting on the table to her lips. She took a drink and set it back down. Rachel, Juliet, and Sawyer all looked at her and laughed.

"What?" Charlotte asked innocently, tilting her head. Juliet waved her hands to Charlie and turned in her chair to face her.

"Come here sweetie." Charlie swiveled in the chair to look at her mom. Juliet took a napkin resting on the table to her daughter's mouth. She dragged it across and set it back down on the table. "You had milk all over you." She smiled and turned back in her chair. Sawyer smirked and gazed at his girls, knowing full well that life was perfect as long as he had them.


	2. Chapter 2

_Authors Note: So I basically just skipped ahead 4 months. Don't mind that. :P_

Juliet let out a quiet groan as she slowly woke up. The moon was still up in the sky and the sound of crickets muffled into the room. She carefully sat up, trying not to wake James up. Sighing, Juliet swung her legs over the side of the bed. Sawyer shifted around and Juliet stopped dead, she hesitantly stood up from the bed. "Where ya goin Jules?" Sawyer grumbled. She winced and looked back at him.

"I have to pee, is that okay?" She whispered with a smile, leaning into the bed slightly. Sawyer let out an airy laugh and outstretched his arm.

"Get outta here then." He joked as he watched her bounce out of the room. He put his arms behind his head and smirked at her.

Sawyer had fallen back asleep by the time Juliet came back. She slipped into the bed- without waking him up, and closed her eyes.

The sound of cartoons and giggling woke James and Juliet up from their slumber. "Dammit Charlotte." Sawyer scowled from under the covers. Juliet shook her head.

"She's three, James, calm down." She put her hand on the side of his face and leaned in to kiss him. "You stay in bed, I'll take care of Charlie." Juliet smiled and pulled away from him. Hopping out of bed, she yawned. The sound of knocking emerged from their bedroom door.

"Mommy?" Charlotte's voice came through the door and Juliet laughed. Sawyer motioned to the door.

"How the hell does she know?" He smiled and Juliet shrugged.

"One second sweetie, I'll be out in a bit." She called out and walked over to her dresser. Rummaging through her clothes, she sighed. "None of my clothes fit anymore." Sawyer reached down and picked up one of his shirts. He tossed it to her and it landed at her feet.

"That's what happens when you're pregnant. Just wear one of mine." He smiled at her and flung the covers off of his legs. "What happened to the clothes from when you were havin' Charlie?" He inquired as he slid off the bed.

"Not sure, I think they're in the closet. I haven't really looked yet." She pulled her pajama shirt off and exchanged it for Sawyer's t-shirt. James walked over to her and wrapped his hands around her waist.

"You're still just as beautiful." He whispered as he gave her a kiss on her neck. Juliet smiled and looked down, trying her best not to blush. He kissed her again and smiled. "I've gotta get ready for work." He sighed and pulled away to go to the bathroom. Juliet followed him out of the bedroom.

"I've got to get Charlie some food." Sawyer walked shirtless into the bathroom and kicked the door behind him. Juliet ventured into the living room to see Charlie standing on the couch, watching Dora the Explorer. She shook her head while walking over to Charlotte. Juliet lifted Charlie off the couch and set her down, sitting. "What have I told you about standing on the couch, Charlie?" Juliet scolded gently. Charlotte looked down at her hands, guilt covering her face.

"Sorry Mommy." She apologized, looking up at her mother. The look on her face melted Juliet's heart. It was impossible to stay mad at her.

"It's alright, just don't do it again, okay?" Charlie nodded. "Alright, let's get you some breakfast. What do you want, cereal?" Juliet wandered into the kitchen, Charlotte right on her heels.

"Fruit loops!" She shrieked, flailing her arms up, a grin filling her expression. Juliet laughed and turned her head to look at Charlie.

"Shhhh, we have to be a bit quiet, Aunt Rachel's still sleeping." Juliet put a finger to her lips and smiled. Charlie mimicked her and giggled. Juliet pulled out the box of fruit loops from the cupboard and set them on the counter. She got out a bowl and poured the cereal, being careful not too pour too much. Juliet reached over to the fridge and pulled the milk out. She poured it into the bowl, got a spoon and plopped it in. Charlie was already sitting at the table, kicking her legs back and forth. Juliet always thought it adorable that she couldn't touch the floor. She set the cereal down on the table and went to make a bowl for herself. Juliet could hear the water in the bathroom shut off as she made herself breakfast. She took her bowl of cereal, which did not consist of sugar and artificial coloring, over to the table and slid into the seat next to Charlotte. Sawyer walked into the room, dressed in his work clothes.

"Hello ladies." He smirked as he walked over to the counter for bread.

"Morning Daddy." Charlotte said, her mouth full of fruit loops. Juliet looked over at her, trying not to laugh.

"Charlie, please don't talk with your mouth full." Charlie nodded and swallowed.

"I'm sorry." Juliet smiled at her and ate some more of her cereal as James put down some toast. He leaned against the counter and threw his head back to get the hair out of his face.

"Rachel still asleep?" He pointed to the direction of her room. Juliet nodded and covered her mouth.

"Mhmm, she went out last night." Charlotte whipped her head to look at her mom, she flung her spoon to point at Juliet.

"Hey! You're not 'upposed to talk with your mouth full!" She gave her a serious look as Juliet laughed and wiped the milk Charlie flung at her off.

"Yeah Jules! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Sawyer teased, the room filling with laughter. Juliet rubbed the top of Charlie's head and smiled. Sawyer's toast popped up as Rachel stumbled into the room.

"What's all the noise for?" She mumbled. Juliet set her spoon down and frowned.

"Did we wake you up, Rach?" She asked, worried they had. Rachel nodded.

"Yeah but I was half awake anyway." She looked over at James who had just finished putting jelly on one of his pieces of toast. She snagged it from the plate and shrugged.

"Hey, I was going to eat that." He laughed.

"I'll eat it for you." She shuffled to the chair across from Juliet and took a bite from the toast. Sawyer shook his head and finished spreading the jam. He looked at the watch on his wrist.

"Dammit, I'm gonna be late." He grabbed the toast off his plate as Juliet frowned at him.

"That's a bad word." Charlie folded her arms and made a pouty face.

"You're right Charlie, that is a bad word, and Daddy should try to remember not to swear in front of you." Juliet remarked, her arms folded as well. James threw his hand up slightly and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry baby, I gotta go." He leaned in and gave her a kiss, not wanting to pull away. Once he did, he walked over to Charlotte and kissed the top of her head. Waving to the girls, he walked towards the door. "Bye girls!" He called.

"Bye Daddy!" Charlotte called after him, waving to him as he shut the door behind him. Charlie looked at her bowl then over at Juliet. "I'm all done, can I go play now?" Juliet nodded as Charlotte pushed the chair back and hopped off, running to her room. Juliet reached for Charlie's bowl and set it inside hers. Carrying them to the sink, Rachel stood up from the chair and finished James' toast.

"How've you been feeling, Juliet?" Rachel asked as she hopped up on the counter, watching Juliet doing the dishes.

"Fine, I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow that James is taking me to." She replied as she transferred a bowl from one side of the sink to the next. She let out a sigh and put the last dish into the other side of the sink. Rachel frowned and leaned back to get a better look at her sister's face.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked, starting to worry. Juliet flicked the water off her hands and turned around to lean against the counter.

"I don't know... I just feel like I'm so busy all the time. I've got to get up, take care of Charlie, then I've got to make sure James gets out of the door on time. Not to mention work, which reminds me I have to get some damn charts done still and now I've got another little one on the way-" Juliet stopped and covered her face in her hands, taking deep breaths. Rachel reached over and put her hand on Juliet's shoulder.

"Jules, it's gonna be alright." Juliet threw her hands up and slammed them down on the sink's edge.

"I just feel like I'm doing this on my own. James is so busy with work and gets one day off so by the time he gets off he's going to bed. Not to mention, there's no time for him and I." She sighed and Rachel looked at her, unsure of what to do.

"Julie, you know I'd do anything for you-" She stopped. "Well, not that, but you know what I mean." The two sisters laughed and Juliet smiled.

"I know, you've been a big help. Thank you." Juliet outstretched her arms and Rachel smiled and gave her a hug. Rachel pulled away and looked over Juliet's shoulder. Juliet turned around and saw Charlie, standing there cradling her finger.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Juliet asked as she knelt next her and looked into Charlie's reddened eyes.

"I hurt my finger." She whimpered, holding out her finger to Juliet. Juliet frowned and took a hold of the finger.

"Yeah, you got it good. Good enough for it to be bleeding." She sighed and lifted her up, resting Charlie on her hip. "Alright let's get a band-aid on it." Juliet carried her into the bathroom, Rachel following them. "Hey, Rach, can you help her rinse it off while I look for a band-aid?" Juliet set Charlotte down on the floor as Rachel nodded. Charlie looked over at Juliet while Rachel was rinsing her finger off.

"Mommy?" She asked, Juliet walking over to her with a princess band-aid. She knelt to get to her daughter's height.

"Yes honey?" Juliet pulled the wrapping off and wrapped the bandage around Charlotte's finger.

"When do I get my new brother or sister?" Rachel looked down at Juliet and smiled.

"In about 4 months." Juliet finished putting the band-aid on and kissed her finger. "There, all better!"

"Thank you, is four months a long time?" She asked, still favoring her finger. Rachel leaned against the sink, watching these two interact was one of her favorite things. Juliet hesitantly shook her head.

"No, no it's not that long." Juliet gave Charlie a warm smiled before standing up and patting her back. "Now, go play." She watched as Charlie scurried out of the room. "Be careful this time!" Juliet called out after her, putting her hands on her hips. Rachel laughed slightly and walked up to Juliet.

"I'd say Mother of the Year." She laughed harder when Juliet rolled her eyes at her.

"Yeah, right. Not even close." Juliet left the bathroom and went into the living room, plopping down on the couch. She sighed as Rachel dropped down next to her. "I still have to get those charts done." She grumbled as she leaned back into the cushions.

"Screw the charts. Sit on your ass and watch TV, you deserve it." Rachel tossed the remote into Juliet's lap and grinned.

"Alright, but only for a bit, I don't want to get fired." Juliet picked the remote from her lap and changed the TV from Dora to a survival show. Rachel frowned.

"Are you kidding? How the hell can you watch this after what you've been through?" Rachel sat up and motioned to the TV. Juliet smirked and shook her head.

"I dunno, I find it interesting." Rachel raised her eyebrows.

"Well, if it's so interesting why don't you just go back to the island?" Juliet looked down and sighed.

"Because I can't." She mumbled, her lip beginning to tremble. "I can't." She took in a deep breath and switched the channel to something more suitable. Seeing she upset her sister, Rachel leaned back in the couch, her heart filled with guilt.

"I'm sorry Jules, it's just, I don't like thinking of you being there." Juliet kept her eyes on the TV, avoiding looking at her sister. Rachel frowned at her and sighed. "You're going to give me the silent treatment?" Juliet laughed slightly and shook her head.

"No, I'm just, thinking." Juliet's hair was pushed up when she pressed her head into the couch.

"About what? Not about the island I hope." Rachel played with her own hair and pulled it back into a ponytail.

"No, just about what I'm going to fix for dinner." Juliet laughed and stretched her arms out. "And for lunch, since the little one is going to be asking about that in a few hours." She paused. "And this little one is going to be wanting lunch too." She smiled and rested her hand on her stomach.

"Is the doctors appointment tomorrow going to determine the gender?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if I want to know. Although it'd be nice since we have its room empty. James and I haven't done any shopping yet." Rachel gave her sister a nudge.

"I bet it's a boy." Juliet let out a laugh.

"James would love that. He'd finally have a guy in this house instead of being surrounded by girls."

"Yeah, but he loves you two a lot. I mean, Charlie's daddy's girl." Juliet furrowed her brow and nodded.

"I suppose, but he'd really love this baby to be a boy, I know that." Another grin appeared on Juliet's face as her hand wandered around her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

_Downtown_ echoed through the house as Juliet ran to her phone. She slid it off the counter and looked down at the picture of James and Charlie with a smile. "Hello?" She answered.

"_Hey Jules. I just wanted to call you and let you know, Rachel is watching Charlie tonight so I'll be taking you out."_ Juliet could tell there was a smile on his face on the other end of the line.

"Oh, where are you taking me?" She let a grin take over as she brushed her hair over her ear with her free hand. Rachel must have told James what she had said a few days ago. A laugh emerged from her phone.

"_Not tellin. It's a surprise. You'll find out tonight Blondie. I gotta go make some money now, I love you."_ James could call Juliet Blondie a million times and she would still get butterflies every time.

"I love you back. See you tonight." She waited for him to hang up and turned off her phone screen.

"What did he want?" Rachel asked from the couch, flipping through channels with Charlie sitting next to her. Juliet turned around and leaned against the counter, a grin on her face still.

"Like you don't know. You so told him!" She laughed and pointed a finger at her sister. Rachel raised her hands up in defense.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rachel smiled and lowered her hands to keep changing the channel. Blue's Clues turned on the screen for a second, but it was enough to make Charlotte bounce up and squeal.

"Blue's Clues!" She shrieked as Rachel sighed defeated and went back to the show.

"There you go, squirt." She smiled and rubbed the top of Charlie's head as she stood up from the couch.

Juliet folded her arms and looked skeptically at her sister. "I know you said something to him. He usually doesn't do this stuff." Rachel smirked and made her way over to Juliet.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. It's a damn shame you can't have anything to drink." Rachel teased as Juliet's eyes widened.

"Oh no no no. Let's not forget what happened last time." Juliet subtly tilted her head towards Charlotte and Rachel shook her head.

"Well, maybe if you weren't such a lightweight-"

"Rachel!" Juliet laughed, pretending to be insulted.

"You could have said no to him." Rachel crossed her arms and grinned. Juliet covered her smile with her hand and shrugged.

"Well..." her voice went quiet, "it was more of the other way around." She cringed in an _I'm guilty_ matter. Rachel let out a burst of laughter and put her hand on her forehead.

"Jesus you whore." Juliet shook her head.

"Easy with that language, my daughter is just over there. Need I remind you she's three?" Rachel rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Yes, yes, I know. So, do you know where he's taking you?" Rachel had a smug smile painted on her face. She _so_ told him.

"Nope, he said it was a surprise. He knows I'm not a fan of surprises yet he continues to give them to me." She laughed slightly and looked over at Charlie. "Hey Sweetie, are you hungry?" Charlotte looked away from the television, nodded to her mom, and hopped off the couch, her feet pounding on the ground.

Juliet slid into the only dress that still fit her and pulled on the ends of it, trying to squeeze into it. She stepped in front of the mirror and let out a sigh, missing her flat stomach. Rachel peeked in through the door and smiled. "At least it fits." She opened the door up all the way and stepped inside. Juliet rolled her eyes and reached down to pick up a pair of shoes resting on the floor. She carried them over to the bed and sat down.

"Barely fits. Where's Charlotte?" She questioned, shoving her shoes on her feet. Even her feet had gotten bigger from being swollen. There was only a few things left in her closet that fit her.

"She's in the living room coloring." Rachel answered, watching her sister struggle with her shoes. Julie groaned pulled off the one shoe she managed to get on and set it aside roughly. Juliet let out an annoyed sigh and covered her face with her hands, resting her elbows on her legs. "Hey, Jules." Rachel walked over to the bed and sat down beside her, putting her arm around her shoulders. "It's not a big deal, I've got shoes that might fit you." Juliet's hands moved around her face. She looked up, stressed, and forced a smile for her sister.

"Thanks Rach." Juliet's smile turned a bit more sincere. Rachel nodded and pulled her arm from Juliet, patting her back as it went by.

"No problem, now come on, let's get you those shoes." Rachel grinned at her sister and held out her hands for her. Juliet grabbed them and pulled herself up.

James pulled into an empty parking spot, in the middle of nowhere. Juliet, with her hair pulled up off her face and her makeup done lightly, looked over at him. "James, where the hell are we?" He looked over at her with a mischievous grin.

"Come on Blondie, just trust me." He opened the car door, stepped out, and went over to her side. Opening the door for her, she used his outstretched hand to help herself out. "Alright, now just follow me."

The moonlight shimmered off the lake that Juliet was now standing in front of. A table was set up with candles giving off the only bit of light aside from the moon. She looked at James with a smile. "James, this is- this is amazing. How did you manage to set all this up?" He took her hand and smirked, leading her to the table.

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." He pulled the chair out for her and waited for her to sit down before taking his own seat. "The food is five-star, but I did my best." He lifted up a lid on a plate and revealed some spaghetti with garlic bread on the side. He reached down and pulled up a bottle of what looked like wine. Juliet looked skeptically at him, a bit confused.

"James, you know-"

"Relax Julie, its sparkling grape juice." He smiled and served her up some spaghetti, then himself. Juliet still couldn't believe that she had managed to get her hands on this guy. Coming from the kind of guys she'd normally date, James was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Juliet set down her fork and leaned back in her chair, too full to move. James looked at her, eyes full of interest and he smiled. "You going to tell me what all of this was for?" Juliet asked, sitting back up. James tilted his head and shrugged.

"Just for being you. You've been a bit strung out lately with Charlotte, work, and the new baby. And I haven't been much help. Figured you could use something good." Sawyer moved his elbow to rest on the top of the chair. Juliet looked down with a smile, bits of her hair falling out of her messy bun and dangling in front of her face. She pushed them away as she looked up and reached out for Sawyer's hand, which he gladly gave to her.

"I love you." She gave him another smile and tilted her head slightly.

"I love you back." He mimicked her expression and rubbed her hand with his thumb. James retracted his hand and stood up from his chair. He took off his jacket and draped it over the chair.

"James, what are you doing?" Juliet questioned, growing a bit uneasy since Sawyer was always full of surprises. He laughed and pulled off his shirt, setting that on top of his jacket.

"Come on Ford." He grinned at her, loving the way his last name sounded on her. Sawyer sauntered over to her and lifted her up from the chair, carrying her like a baby.

"Dammit James! What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" She demanded, trying not to laugh. He carried her over to the lake. She looked at herself in the reflection before looking at him. "Don't you dare." He gave her an evil grin and chuckled as he started into the water. "James, I swear to God! This is a nice dress!" She was laughing now, even though she wasn't happy with the fact that he was about to throw her in the lake.

"We'll buy you a new one, live a little Blondie." He remarked as stepped further in, far enough to toss her into the water. Juliet let out a screech as she hit the shivering cold water. She surfaced and pushed the remains of her bun out of her face.

"Dammit James!" She squealed as he waded in towards her. He waved his hands and smirked.

"Ah, you'll be fine Jules." He grinned and swam towards her.

"This water is freezing." She complained, shifting her expression to frown. He rolled his eyes and went under the water, swimming just below Juliet's feet. He grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her under. Her head went under for only a moment before she bobbed back up to the surface. He came up shortly after, a big grin on his face. "You are a shit. You know that?" Sawyer laughed and nodded.

"Yeah whatever, you know you love it." He looked over at the table when he heard Juliet's all too familiar ringtone coming from her purse. Juliet scrambled out of the lake and grabbed Sawyers shirt to dry her hands off before answering the phone, not even bothering to see who it was.

"Hello?" She answered, trying her best not to let her soaked hair get her phone wet.

"_Julie? I know you and James were supposed to stay out all night, but I think it's time for you two to come home._" Rachel's voice sounded worried and hesitant. Juliet looked over at James who was getting out of the lake and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"What happened?" She asked, Sawyer must have heard her because he now had the same worried look as she did as he put on his shirt.

"_I don't know, Charlie's just- sick. She's got a temp of 102 and she wants you two to come home._" Juliet let out a sigh and looked at Sawyer.

"How the hell did that happen? We haven't been gone that long." Juliet could hear Rachel trying to comfort Charlie on the other line.

"_I don't know but she was looking a bit pale before you guys left._" Sawyer looked at Juliet, awaiting an answer.

"Alright... we'll be home shortly." Juliet hung up and put her hand against her hip. "Charlie got sick and wants us to come home. Rachel said she's got a temp of 102." Sawyer sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"Dammit. Let's get going then." He looked a bit disappointed but, kids get sick and that's something they had to deal with.

Sawyer unlocked the front door and let Juliet in first, delivering his ever so famous '_Ladies first' _line. Rachel went up to give Juliet a hug but stopped when she noticed how drenched she was. "What the hell happened to you two?" She tried to keep a straight face as Juliet tossed her hands towards Sawyer.

"James here, thought it'd be a good idea to throw me into the lake." Sawyer looked proud even though he knew Juliet was a bit pissed. She looked over towards the couch to see Charlotte laying down. "Hi Sweetie, we're home. We're going to go change and then be right back okay?" Charlie nodded from under the blankets.

Juliet closed the bedroom door behind her and went over to her closet, sifting through to find something to wear. James looked over at her with a grin. "What are you smiling about?" Juliet gave him a quick grin to let him know she wasn't biting his head off. He pulled off his shirt and put on one of his old gray ones.

"I was just thinking of how beautiful you looked tonight- even after I threw you in the water." He laughed and looked down slightly. "Also, I noticed you were wearing that underwear I bought you a few Christmases ago." He smirked as Juliet's eyes widened.

"When did you-" She stopped, answering her own question. When he swam under her, the bastard must have looked up. She laughed and threw one of tennis shoes sitting on the ground at him. "You're terrible." She grinned and had a small struggle getting out of her dress. He pointed and tilted his head.

"See, I was right." He put on a pair of sweatpants with a look of pride. She rolled her eyes and slipped into one of his shirts, since his clothes fit her better than her's, then into a pair of pajama pants.

"Let's go take care of our kid." She smiled and opened up the door.

Juliet plopped down on the couch next to Charlie. She placed her hand on her back and looked at her. "Charlie? How are you feeling honey?" Charlie looked wearily at her mother, her eyes heavy with dark circles underneath of them. Sawyer squatted down at the other end of the couch and put the back of his hand gently on Charlotte's forehead. He pulled away and looked up at Juliet. She nodded at him. Juliet knew what that look meant, something was wrong. "Rach? Can you go get the thermometer?" Juliet turned her head to look at her sister who nodded and ran off to the bathroom.

"Jules, she's burning up." Sawyer looked at her, the look in his eyes was the most serious it had been in ages. Rachel came bounding back into the room and handed the thermometer to Juliet. She leaned over and took her daughter's temperature. Looking at the results, she shook her head.

"James, start the car, we have to take her in its at 105 now." Sawyer looked down momentarily and Juliet was sure she could hear him mutter son of a bitch. He stood up from the ground and snagged the keys off the counter. As he was leaving, Juliet went to pick Charlie up but was stopped by Rachel.

"No, I got her. You shouldn't be in contact with her if she's contagious." Juliet nodded understandingly and took a step away from the couch, allowing room for her sister to lift Charlie up.

Juliet sat in the hospital chair, wringing her hands. Sawyer rested on a couch next to her, observing her worry. He put his hand on top of her's. "Hey, she'll be fine." Juliet looked over at him, stood up and sat down on the couch. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. Charlie laid in the hospital bed, fiddling around with some dolls Juliet had grabbed for her. The nurse stepped into the room, flipping through the pages of Charlie's charts. She looked up from them with a smile.

"Charlotte should be fine," A look of relief spread throughout Sawyer, Rachel, and Juliet's face. "The doctor wants to keep her overnight to keep an eye on her, make sure that fever doesn't get worse. But other than that, she'll be fine." The nurse flashed another smile and left the room. James put his arm around Juliet's shoulder.

"See? She'll be alright." He gave her a kiss on the top of her head and tried not to show that he was a bit panicked earlier. Juliet lifted her feet off the ground and swung them on top of the couch. She moved around in his arms and pressed herself closer to him. Rachel looked over at the pair and couldn't help but smile. Sawyer put his hand under Juliet's chin and tilted it up to look at him, trying not to get lost in those blue eyes of her's. "Do you want to stay here or-"

"No I want to be here. I don't want to leave her." Sawyer nodded and slid down into the couch. He laughed as Juliet moved around again.

"You comfy Blondie?" She grinned up at him and nodded. Sawyer changed his look to Rachel. "Do you want the car keys? You don't have to stay here if you don't want to; we won't hold it against it you." He lifted himself up and pulled the keys out of his back pocket, his movement causing Juliet to have to get comfy again. James held them out and waited for Rachel's answer. She nodded her head and stretched as she stood.

"Thanks, you two have fun." She gave them a quick smile before planting a kiss on the top of Charlie's head, and heading out the door.


End file.
